Gallerina

Mark Johnston was born in Stockton on Tees in 1974. He studied at Newcastle College of Art 1991, Cumbria College 1992-93 and at Brighton University [BA] from 1993-96.

 

Brought up on the coast of Hartlepool, this region, its coastline and light are in his bones. Mark Johnston is a 'mark maker', a high energy painter, a technician, these works can be raw, are intuitive, and can be incredibly delicate.

 

To help celebrate our new location in Darlington Mark recently turned to works in oil and ink on paper, itself a celebration of our relationship with him and his love of the North and its coastline, always in the fore front of his mind. 

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‘With my work on paper I hope to capture the expressive , luminous , and large scale of landscape and all of its moods’

They capture solid forms of day shifting and blurring into mixed media washes and glazes .

'Consisting of mark making and vital layers they hold on to the airy breath and almost unfinished freshness of the first essential gestures on paper .

The trick is to stopping early and discard the overworked paintings.'

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Mark's paintings are rooted in Landscape, drawing on and reflecting expected influences including Turner together with The Dutch School and the exploration of mood, atmosphere as well as a sense of place.

 

They are full of forces and gravity, landscapes brought to life.